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| recent beauty purchases

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A little disclaimer: some of these products I actually bought back in September, so they're really not recent at all! I thought I'd bring everything into one post and give a little review. I do this a lot - I start accumulating products here and there, and I come to a point where I realise I've been using them most days and haven't mentioned at all on the blog, more so on Instagram. So here's a little run down of what I've been using the last few months.

Rimmel London Stay Matte Primer
I ordered this off Feel Unique and it took absolutely ages to arrive since I ordered it to Spain, I'm so annoyed as I went back to England recently and it arrived in Spain when I went home, so I could've just sent it back home. Delivery gripes aside, I love this. It's a creamy, moisturiser type formula and applies colourless. It sinks in quickly, visibly brightens the complexion and provides a smoother base before foundation. It claims that it can be used alone but for me that wouldn't work too well, since I normally need something to cover redness, so I prefer a little more yellow-based coverage.

Bourjois Nude Sensation Foundation
I ordered this alongside the primer, so these arrived the same time. I was really excited to try this out, having swatched it on my hand in El Corté Inglés (has the best beauty hall ever!!). I have a confession to make readers - I never owned the iconic Matte Mousse Foundation by Maybelline. So this type of formula was quite new to me, thick, moussey and perhaps seeming a little hard to blend. But I must say I'm in love with foundation. It looks a little cakey when you first start blending it in, but don't panic! Leave it a minute or so and everything settles and looks so natural. I recommend using fingers to blend this in, nothing else compares, you need to work it in a little but once settled it looks gorgeously natural on the skin. The real selling point for me though has to be its insane staying power. I've quickwalked, almost jogged around Salamanca in the heat, the cold and this does not budge. It keeps my red cheeks at bay and keeps me pretty and porcelain. A must try!

Kiko Natural Concealer
I've loved trying more products from Kiko, and I love even more how many there are here in Spain! I've never been a huge fan of concealers. I've tried the dry pencils, which just dry out my skin further, the liquid concealers which just make my face look ashy and white, and those godawful concealing pens and I've just not been impressed. However, this little gem has changed my opinion a little. It is a liquid formula, not exactly my skin tone, but I'm only using this on my cheeks when I want a completely evened out skin tone, for going out. I simply draw a few stripes on the cheeks and blend in. It sinks in quickly, doesn't look like I've used concealer and doesn't interfere with foundation. What more could you ask?

Kiko Volumeyes Active Mascara
I'm not a huge fan of the name of this mascara, it just means nothing. I have no idea what an active mascara is supposed to be, but it's like any normal mascara. However I love the brush. I would call it a much cheaper version of Lancome's Hypnose Doll Eyes, with the natural cone shape. The formula's pretty long lasting, and the curl holds well too! I also love the glossy bronze packaging, it looks extremely sleek. Just the name is a let down!

Sephora Dramatic Line Eyeliner
I picked this up last weekend in Oviedo with my friends. I'm a huge fan of their skincare range, but I've tried anything from their make up line. My beloved and much mentioned Bourjois Liner Pinceau is coming to its end and I wanted to try something new. In the store I was interested by its angle brush (see here) and thought why not so it came home with me. I must say it was extremely difficult to use, especially just to draw a straight line, and required a lot of correction. I liked the effect at the end, but it required a lot more effort than my usual eyeliner to achieve the same effect. I just really don't get on with felt tips, I hate the dragging effect, and this one offers unfortunately the same result.

Clinique High Impact Mascara
I'd heard great things about this mascara, and was delighted to see it was a freebie in Glamour magazine last month! I must say, it's love. It creates a beautifully soft and fluttery effect, which goes perfectly with the Kiko mascara to create a long lasting curly and fluttery set of lashes all day. It's a natural bristle brush, so I was surprised to see how easily it grabs all the lashes, and makes lashes look naturally curly. It's not very waterproof but when used with a waterproof mascara like Max Factor False Lash Effect it works a dream. Very tempted to add this to the christmas list!

Pantene Pro-V Dry Argan Oil
So I've had this pretty much since I've arrived in Salamanca, I ran out of my beloved L'Oréal Professionel Serum which I would use before blow drying, and this has become my replacement. There's so many argan oil-based products out there now so this is hardly a novelty but it's certainly a winner. I simply run this through the lengths of my hair until the ends a few minutes before blow drying my hair, or sometimes when my hair is dry and I simply want to make a hair a little glossier. This isn't sticky or greasy at all, hence the dry oil and leaves a lovely soft sheen to my hair.

Thanks for reading! What products have you been loving recently? What do you recommend?

About Me

Lifestyle blog by a final year Modern Languages and European Studies student at the University of Southampton. I have recently completed a year abroad in Spain . I love writing about lifestyle, student life beauty and travel.